Saw the idea behind it - bid to put limitations on your opponents and from there do the usual 'Chopped' routine about trying to make the best dish.

Figured it was a silly idea that would quickly die. Watched the first episode as I would watch a car crash....and then watched the second one. Help me! I keep wanting to see what nasty trick will be pulled next and how the hapless chef saddled with no knives, or pans, or using fast food versiosn while others get fresh ingredients etc. figures out a way to transcend his/her limitations.

Saw about 10 minutes of one episode and tuned out. You can either cook or you can't. What is the need of disadvantaging your opponent with removing salt and pepper or having them cook over a Bunsen burner? I didn't get it.

"...To undersalt deliberately in the name of dietary chic is to omit from the music of cookery the indispensable bass line over which all tastes and smells form their harmonies." -- Robert Farrar Capon

Haven't seen it, but my reaction to the previews I've seen mirrors Jo Ann's take. I have no patience for the shows like the one Anne Burrell's hosts or co-hosts where people who can't cook compete, or Bobby Flay's Throwdowns. Those don't entertain me in the slightest.

That said, I once felt that way about Chopped and now Bob and I get a kick out of watching it. Ted Allen and I are even friends on Facebook.

My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov

I don't get that show either and it just seems silly. Alton Brown does seem like the perfect ring leader, however. In the case of this show, it is not all about cooking, but wit and diabolical thinking.

Karen/NoCA wrote:I don't get that show either and it just seems silly. Alton Brown does seem like the perfect ring leader, however. In the case of this show, it is not all about cooking, but wit and diabolical thinking.

Hmm. I don't watch any of the competitive cooking shows, but I do enjoy diabolical thinking. That part might be fun.

Mark Lipton wrote:I have a hard enough time watching Chopped, though our son loves it. I want to see talented cooks cooking, not people screwing up right and left and all the "drama" that ensues.

Mark Lipton

That's what initially turned me off. That, and the early basket combinations--one's ability to incorporate gummy bears into an appetizer is hardly proof of skill. We watched a few initial episodes, decided they were all the same, and tuned out for a few years. Only started watching again about three years ago, and I'm not sure why. Most likely, we were channel surfing, there it was, and for some reason this time we had fun. The baskets are better now and so are the competitors, and once you get to know the judges the fun is in guessing who they're going to chop and why. Too, the judges are all good friends and truly seem to have fun putting themselves--and each other--through this.

My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov